BENGALURU: President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to the amendment of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bill 2017 allowing the state to hold Kambala and bullock cart racing. In June, the Centre had approved amendments to the bill proposed by the state.
Karnataka had banned the tradition after animal rights activists approached the high court stating that it amounts to cruelty to animals.
Following this, the state government was compelled to pass an ordinance legalising Kambala after Tamil Nadu government took the ordinance route to legalise Jallikattu. Drawing a comparison, law minister T B Jayachandra had argued that there was no cruelty in Kambala unlike in Jalikattu where the animals are tortured.